The New Year has just begun and a couple of films have already hit screens, but the big ticket films are yet to see the light of day. Like last year, this year too we at Bollywood Hungama quite literally are sticking our necks out vouching for these films, which in all likelihood will be big money spinners at the box office.
So here are the films that we expect will be making it big at the box office in 2017. But, learning from last years’ experience, this year we have further categorized the films into segments based on their estimated box office collections.
Rs. 300 crores
Tiger Zinda Hai: Salman Khan, just the actor’s name is enough to ensure collections well over Rs. 200 crore. Now, add to this, the fact that Salman will be seen on the big screen in a Yash Raj film, directed by filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar, the man responsible for giving one of last year’s biggest money spinners Sultan, and you know that Tiger Zinda Hai is already looking like a sure shot hit.
Coming to the film itself, Tiger Zinda Hai, which is a sequel to the 2012 film Ek Tha Tiger, will once again feature Salman Khan playing the role of an Indian RAW officer fighting crime. Going by the box office track record of Ek Tha Tiger, which ended its box office run at Rs. 198.78 cr, the film’s sequel that boasts of action sequences that will rival the first with an equally gripping story line surely makes it a strong contender for the Rs. 300 cr club. The movie is likely to emerge as the highest grosser of 2017.
Tubelight: The last time we saw Salman Khan being directed by ace director Kabir Khan, who has given us films like Kabul Express, New York and Ek Tha Tiger, it was for the 2015 release Bajrangi Bhaijaan. In fact, the film went on to collect Rs. 320.34 cr at the domestic box office alone.
Now picture the duo, viz. Salman and Kabir returning teaming up for yet another film Tubelight which is an Indo- Chinese production that also features Chinese actress Zhu Zhu, it is a no brainer that the film will be a sure shot blockbuster, aiming for the Rs. 300 cr club.
Rs. 200 crores
The Ring: The last time Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma came together in the lead roles viz. Jab Tak Hai Jaan, the film collected Rs. 120.85 cr at the domestic box office. Now considering that The Ring directed by Imtiaz Ali is said to be a romantic drama, it isn’t a long shot that the film will manage to rake in the moolah at the box office.
Shot in the scenic locales of Prague, Amsterdam and Budapest, images of the cast shooting for the film have been going viral on social networking sites since the commencement of shooting. Given the above factors, achieving a target of Rs. 200 crores does not seem to be a challenge.
Rs. 150 crores
Raees: Shah Rukh Khan in an action-packed role! Need we say more? Though we featured Raees in the list in the previous two years, the film produced by Farhan Akhtar and Riteish Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment will see the light of day this week. However, the film might face competition with the Hrithik Roshan starrer Kaabil that is directed by Sanjay Gupta releasing on the same day.
This clash coupled with the fact that since the film features Pakistani actress Mahira Khan, especially given the recent furore about featuring cross border talents in Indian cinema, Raees may face minute hurdles at the box office.
Padmavati: Last year, we saw the release of the Sanjay Leela Bhansali directed film Bajirao Mastani featuring Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra. Well, this year Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who is known for his more than opulent films, promises to take things to the next level with Padmavati.
Assisting the maverick director is an all-star cast comprising of Deepika Padukone who has fast become an international sensation with the recent release of XXX: The Return of Xander Cage, the energetic live wire Ranveer Singh and chocolate hero Shahid Kapoor.
Bahubali 2: The Conclusion: Back in 2015, we saw the release of Bahubali: The Beginning, a film that boasted of a grand story and even bigger visual effects. By far, being one of the most advanced films of Indian cinema to release, it went on to do well not just in the south but also in other territories across India. In fact the film, whose Hindi dubbed version was distributed by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, was one of their most profitable ventures in that year.
Now two years on, we see the release of the concluding chapter with Bahubali: The Conclusion hitting screens. Promising to finally answer the question that became viral sensation on social media sites, ‘Why did Katappa kill Bahubali?’, the film with high levels of anticipation is sure to do business worth around Rs. 150 cr. in Hindi language only.
Crack: The last couple of times when Neeraj Pandey directed Akshay Kumar in Special 26 and Baby, both films went on to receive not just critical acclaim but also did well at the box office. After collaborating last year for Rustom, which was produced by Pandey, Akshay will be working with the director again on Crack. In fact, just recently Akshay Kumar took to twitter confirming the same. Interestingly the actor’s confirmation soon went viral with fans keenly awaiting the release of the film.
Coupled with the fact that the combination of Akshay and Neeraj is a sure shot fire starter, Akshay has been on top of his game with three films, viz. Housefull 3, Rustom and Airlift reaching the Rs. 100 crore club in a single year.
Rs. 100 crores
Kaabil: An action film featuring a central protagonist, who is visually impaired, definitely makes for an interesting concept. Well, director Sanjay Gupta’s next Kaabil is just that. Starring Hrithik Roshan in the lead role, the film promises to be an action entertainer with high octane stunts and drama making for a perfect Bollywood potboiler.
However, considering that Kaabil is releasing on the same day as the much talked about and highly anticipated Shah Rukh Khan starrer Raees, the film will have to rely on positive reviews and strong word of mouth. But, considering that the makers of the film have literally gone all guns blazing to promote the film, Kaabil looks set to make it to the Rs. 100 crore club.
Judwaa 2: Back in 1997, we saw the release of the film Judwaa starring Salman Khan. Now two decades later, we see the release of the film’s sequel Judwaa 2 that features Varun Dhawan playing a double role. Helmed once again by David Dhawan the film promises to be an action packed comedy.
Now given the fact that director David Dhawan has already proved his mettle when it comes to directing comedy films, his son Varun, who in in his own words, bases his acting skills on a combination of Salman Khan and Govinda, certainly does have the charisma to pull it off.
Half Girlfriend: Films being based on popular novels aren’t something new. After the success of 2 States, writer Chetan Bhagat’s next book to be converted to celluloid is Half Girlfriend. If the success of 2 States is anything to go by, then the adaptation of Bhagat’s second book is a sure shot winner as well.
Adding to this is the fact that Half Girlfriend will be helmed by maverick director Mohit Suri and features young stars Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor. All that is left to be seen now is whether the box office business of Half Girlfriend surpasses that of 2 States.
Golmaal Again: Since 2006, we have seen the release of one instalment of the comedy series Golmaal. Now after three films in the franchise, we see the fourth instalment Golmaal Again gearing up to hit screens.
Once again featuring an all-star cast, the fourth film in the franchise has already begun to gather steam. If the current trend is anything to go by, then Golmaal Again will have no qualms collecting Rs. 100 crore at the box office.
2.0: Rajinikanth! Just his name is enough to get people queuing up outside cinema halls to watch his latest film. Now add to it, the fact that Akshay Kumar features in the film as the main villain, makes the film certainly worth a watch.
2.0, apart from featuring Akshay in a grey avatar also boasts of high octane action scenes, impressive VFX and is a sequel to the hit film Robot. This is definitely one film to watch out for this year.
Dark Horse
Jolly LLB 2: Back in 2013 we saw the release of the film Jolly LLB featuring Arshad Warsi and Boman Irani. While the film did decent business at the box office, it was highly appreciated for its unique content. Now a few years on, we see the sequel to the film being readied to hit screens this year. However, upping the tempo, the makers of the sequel have roped in superstar Akshay Kumar to top line the cast.
Now given the actor’s record of 2016 of touching Rs. 100 crore with each of his three films, it doesn’t seem like a long shot that Jolly LLB 2 may share a similar fate.
Badrinath Ki Dulhania: Starring Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt, the film which is a sequel to Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania definitely has a good level of anticipation, given that the previous film was a decent hit. Also, given that both the box office market of both Varun and Alia has increased considerably since they last appeared together and the fact that their combination is highly loved, especially by the youth, it won’t be surprising to see the film posting impressive numbers at the box office.
Baadshaho: The last time Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi came together with director Milan Luthria, it was for the popular blockbuster Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai. The film still continues to have a strong fan base amongst the television audience. Given that this hit trio is coming together for yet another potboiler, Baadshaho surely has the potential to surprise one and all with its performance at the box office.
Disclaimer: Though we have categorized the films into the segments of Rs. 100 cr, Rs. 200 cr, Rs. 300 cr based on our predictions of their collections, a plus or minus 10% margin of difference can be expected between the predicted figures and attained figures at the box office.
